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Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker looked as shifty and explosive Thursday as he has all season, and as a result, he had his most productive game since undergoing knee surgery.

Welker matched season highs with eight catches and two touchdowns, and he had a season-best 90 receiving yards during the Patriots' 45-28 victory against the Lions.

Welker has been cautious with the left knee all season, saying he's been thinking about it while making cuts and noting that he wouldn’t be at full strength until at least January, a year after tearing his ACL in Houston. But on Thursday, Welker shared his most optimistic report about the knee.

"My knee has felt great," Welker said at his postgame news conference. "These past few weeks have been awesome. [I've] really just staying on top of it, but this is definitely the best it's felt. I feel like it continues to make strides, but I'm not worried about it at all. I'm out there playing and feeling like my old self."

Welker has two of his season's highest single-game yardage totals in the last three weeks. Against Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Detroit, Welker has caught 21 passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns. And not surprisingly, the Patriots have averaged 38.3 points per game over that stretch.

With confidence in his knee, Welker is adding a new dimension to the Patriots' offense.

"I think it's been gradual," Welker said of his knee's improvement. "There's always days where it's bad and things like that. I feel like those days are kind of behind me, and [I'm] just moving forward and making sure that I'm still doing everything necessary to stay on top of it. But at the same time, I have total confidence in it and ready to play out there."